31 July 2006

In the season two She-Ra episode "Return Of The General" writer Bob Forward and director Richard Trueblood take a typically sweet mother and daughter scene and add a cruel twist! The aura of love and happiness is strong as Mally hugs her charismatic child Telzy. Suddenly, ominous music is heard, a shadow forms over the pair, and we expect the worst, as Telzy looks up with startled eyes. Above her, we see a shot of the stranger, silhouetted by the forceful glare of the sun. Just as we think Mally and Telzy are being attacked by some bizarre axe-wielding murderer, Telzy shouts, "Daddy!" We suddenly realize that the obscure figure is actually the kind General Sunder from "Unexpected Ally." The trick is in the phenomenal direction as Richard Trueblood takes a scene that could have been schmaltzy and predictable and adds a surprising and ironic touch!

30 July 2006

A little fun fact for you, and one that I wrote for the BCIHe-Man and the Masters of the Universe DVDs, is that the storyteller that appeared in "Not so Blind" and reappeared in "Beauty and the Beast" was actually named Demosthius in the script for the latter. This character was always one of my favorites mainly for his appearance in "Not so Blind."

29 July 2006

Mark Glamack was one of the new directors that came on board as soon as She-Ra's season one went into production. Often calling for new animation Mark created a simply stunning expression on the part of Hordak in the episode "A Talent for Trouble." As the Evil Horde leader attempts to figure out the mind of Orko his expression changes to one of pure shock! Look how Hordak's neck is forward, with his ridiculously bulging eyes showing for the first and only time his yellow pupils; probably drawn on for comic effect more than anything else!

28 July 2006

The Flash Gordon animated series from Filmation was a precursor to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in quite a few ways. One of the more obvious connections was the similarity in design between Princess Aura and our favorite hot-headed Masters of the Universe female, Teela. Not only is the pose exactly the same, but so too is the actual face! Notice that the pair each wear a tiara that frames their face in the same way...

27 July 2006

The No Words Necessary #1 Blog entry seemed to throw a lot of people into confusion, but that was never my intention. Let me explain; I have episodes thirty-seven "It's Not My Fault" to sixty-five "The Heart of A Giant" with just the music and effects track. In other words the clip from "Eternal Darkness" was the transformation scene minus the dialogue, and not a scene that people somehow missed. Hope that's cleared that up...

So with that in mind here is an audio clip of the introduction sequence with one thing missing...

26 July 2006

My second San Diego Comic Con was an experience that I'll never forget! Once again I was honored to talk to the Filmation staff that worked on the show; socializing with the wonderful He-Man and She-Ra fans; commissioning various artists to draw Teela for the forthcoming Teela website I'm working on; and this time actually buying some comics! Many photos were taken by Emiliano Santalucia, Jon Kallis, Katy Cartee, Carlo, Busta Toons (hey, that's me) and numerous others, but for the time being here are a few that caught my eye taken by Jon, Katy and myself...

(click on the images to see them at full-size)

From left to right: Alessandra, Emiliano, myself and Jon representing at the BCI booth...

Just for laughs: Val and Emiliano at the hotel, with Alessandra browsing the Internet...

Hard at work: Emiliano drawing yet another detailed commission...

In the company of greatness: Lou Scheimer!

From left to right: Alessandra, Emiliano, Val, myself and Jon...

Only a few scripts between them: Michael Reaves and Marc Scott Zicree...

My boys: Larry DiTillio and Tom Tataranowicz!

From left to right: Katy, Alessandra, Emiliano, Jon, myself, Rob and Nathan...

The Los Angeles two: Lee and Carlo...

The Masters of the Podcast: Josh, Jon and Katy...

A writer and his creation: Brooks Wachtel and She-Ra!

From left to right: Val, Tom, Emiliano, Jon, Eamon, and myself spread out...

16 July 2006

Some characters in the He-Man and She-Ra series were never fully seen, but were always designed completely. Evilseed from the episode "Evilseed" is one such character that we never really saw because of the cloak he wore; so prepare to feast your eyes...

15 July 2006

Here I present for your enjoyment one of the most memorable and slightly infamous images from the She-Ra season one episode "Huntara." Why is it slightly infamous? The angle alone should answer that question! Personally I feel that this was another example of director Tom Tataranowicz pushing the boundaries not only in direction, but in the material that Filmation produced. Without this kind of direction approved we may never have seen some of the memorable animation that the season two episode "Sweet Bee's Home" is famed for!

14 July 2006

On many occasions an episode would change during the process from script to storyboard. It was however rare that changes should occur from storyboard to screen, but that is exactly what happened to the "Battlecat" episode from He-Man's season two. Here I present the last two pages of the storyboard by Hal Sutherland, and, as you can see, instead of the story returning to the present day, the episode remained in the flashback with Prince Adam and Cringer talking about the recent turn of events. I personally prefer the ending that we all know and love!

13 July 2006

In a few days I am heading off to the San Diego Comic Con! For the time being here we are; ONE-HUNDRED AND FIFTY Blog entries and still going strong! So let's take a quick glance over the previous one-hundred and forty-nine posts...

12 July 2006

The other day I showcased the two costumes that Orko accidentally caused King Randor to be wearing at the very end of the season two He-Man episode "The Time Wheel." Of course I saved the very best until last. In easily one of the most memorable scenes of the entire series we see a fantastic panning shot showing an extremely disgruntled King Randor sporting a Trollan outfit!

11 July 2006

When I first saw the She-Ra episodes in DVD quality I was astonished by this one shot from the season one She-Ra episode "Glimmer's Story." Check out the first image below and look at it carefully, in particular observe the seven characters on the far left.

10 July 2006

In the He-Man season two episode "The Ice Age Cometh" we witness Orko display an odd piece of sarcasm that can only really be associated with the writer, more than the actual character! When He-Man determines that Skeletor is behind the recent villainous activity on Eternia Orko replies with slight sarcasm, unsurprised by the recent revelation from the most powerful man in the universe!

09 July 2006

Here are two great images from "The Time Wheel" episode, as Orko'sTrollan magic creates a lot of grief for King Randor, much to the amusement of Queen Marlena and Prince Adam! The first image has King Randor sporting exactly the same costume as King Tamusk, a former King who had visited their time during the episode. The second image has the King dressed in a court jester outfit, much to his displeasure! Of course there is one more image, a panning shot to be precise, of his final costume from this scene, but that can wait for a few days...

08 July 2006

Yesterday I referred to the wraparound segment from "Beast Island" and how the footage of "Into Etheria" differed from the actual episode itself. Here is another shot from the same scene. The image of the left is from "Into Etheria" and we can see He-Man without the Sword of Power, only the Sword of Protection glowing in his hand, confronting Adora. The image on the right from the wraparound segment at the beginning of "Beast Island" shows that He-Man apparently confronted Adora with the Sword of Power! Again another oddity. Wait until you see how the wraparound segment from "She-Ra Unchained" showing scenes from "Beast Island" differed, featuring completely new animation!

07 July 2006

The second part of "The Sword of She-Ra", the season one episode "Beast Island", has a wraparound segment that showcases scenes from the first episode "Into Etheria." What is interesting in this wraparound is that the footage is somewhat different to the actual animation featured in "Into Etheria." The image on the left is from "Into Etheria" and we can clearly see He-Man without the Sword of Power, only the Sword of Protection in his sheath, confronting Adora. The image on the right from the wraparound segment at the beginning of "Beast Island" shows that He-Man apparently confronted Adora with the Sword of Power whilst she wielded the Sword of Protection! These crazy little differences are always interesting to behold...

06 July 2006

Here I present one of my favorite Skeletor moments from the season two episode "The Ice Age Cometh." After a failed mission in the opening few minutes of the episode Skeletor rebukes Whiplash with some highly memorable dialogue!

05 July 2006

In the season one He-Man episode "The Mystery of Man-E-Faces" I noticed a camera angle that director Lou Zukor uses on three occasions. The first time we see it used occurs when Man-E-Faces meets Man-At-Arms, the second time; when Man-E-Faces squares off against He-Man, and the third time; when Man-E-Faces is greeted by Skeletor. It is a noticeable camera shot because it was rarely used in the series, and also in the case of Man-E-Faces proved to be a tad problematic, as we cannot see his face!

04 July 2006

Filmation making comedy about death? It appears that the director of "Beast Island"Lou Kachivas decided to include a very small, but slightly noticeable joke at the expense of the poor rebels, who had just been shot out of the sky. The scene is so brief that it's easy to miss, and Hordak's smooth laughing animation takes your eyes away from the flashing display of "Die! Die!"

03 July 2006

I spoke to Robert Lamb about his He-Man season two episode "The Ancient Mirror of Avathar"...

"Steve Clark did an excellent job directing. Everyone liked the story but complained that it just stopped. Well, it did just stop. I had plans for the Royal Family and Teela and Man-At-Arms to learn of the origins of their civilization and Skeletor's history and whatever else I wanted to see. Skeletor would, of course, want the mirror for his purposes...to learn the origin, identity, and Achilles heel of He-Man; and how to defeat the Sorceress. But did they let me do that? Noooo..."